Canon
Canon is a term derived from Biblical scriptures, refering to the authoritative scriptures that cannot be removed or changed, and in fiction terms refers to the material that 'counts'. This use for fiction was originally devised by Sherlock Holmes fans, to distinguish the original Conan-Doyle stories from those by other writers: the original stories are the scripture and anything else written is derivative. A second meaning for canon came along in later years: when the creator or rights holder declares that part of the official fiction counts and another part does not, and which is subject to change on the rights holder's whim. For example, CBS Entertainment count only the Star Trek TV shows as canon; when The Next Generation came out, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Animated_Series#Canon_issues The Animated Series was effectively 'decanonised'] by Gene Roddenberry's office but in 2007, CBS declared it canon again. We should note that when Holmes fan Ronald Knox used the term "canon" to describe Conan-Doyle's work, he was satirising his fellow fans and their obsession with what 'counted' in Conan-Doyle's 'lore' by comparing them to theologians. Official statements on canon MTV has never made an official statement on canon for either Daria or Beavis and Butt-head, and neither has Daria producer Glenn Eichler. In an interview with Kara Wild, when talking about avoiding giving real-time dates for a TV series, said "the only purpose it serves is to get people upset about 'violating canon'", giving the impression that an official canon was not a priority for him. Anne D. Bernstein, however, jokingly referred to canon in an interview, when talking about The Daria Diaries book: "I had to make up a ton of stuff that did not yet exist... and then it all became part of "the Daria Universe" so people had to follow what I established!". And the books written by Bernstein and future story editor Peggy Nicoll do indeed contain material that would later appear on the show itself: the names of Helen's sisters and all the details about Kevin's parents. Something mentioned in an interview with MTV staff years after the show is not going to be canon, but will tell us about how the creators may have seen a character turning out or tidbits that they'd never fully got into the show. A number of these have been taken as 'canon' by many fans as a result, even though technically it isn't. A key example is that in his interview with Kara Wild, Glenn Eichler gave the location of Lawndale as being roughly in Maryland. The setting of Lawndale was never stated in canon and some parts of the show clash with a Maryland setting (a desert being so close for one), but since it's the nearest we'll get to an answer, Lawndale is taken to be a Maryland suburb in fanfic after fanfic. Daria's old hometown, Highland, was canonically placed in Texas in a 2011 Beavis and Butt-head, but even before then it was commonly assumed to be in Texas because Mike Judge had said that this was where he envisaged it being. Off-canon canon The cast made numerous appearances in interviews, MTV specials, and bumpers during episode marathons where they broke the fourth wall and referred to themselves as cartoon characters. In addition to this, there were letter pages for [[Beavis and Butt-head (comics)|the Beavis and Butt-head comics]], feedback on the website, and a IRC chat following "Is It Fall Yet?" where Daria spoke to specific, real-world fans. Obviously, this cannot be canon. However, these are almost always presented in character and in some cases they were used to get across canonical information: for example, the ages of Daria, Trent, and Quinn were mentioned during Daria Day. As a result, we call this "off-canon canon" and collect it under the "Daria as Cartoon Actress" bracket. Beavis and Butt-head Beavis and Butt-head and its associated material is where the wheels come off a bit. This was where Daria Morgendorffer originated, and that means it's often taken as canon. However, the character was merely an occasional supporting character and was written as a foil for Beavis and Butt-head, and this means in some episodes and comics her personality is different to what we'd expect, like how Daria is utterly blase about guns being fired around her in "Incognito". Daria also downplayed its connection to Beavis and Butt-head, and any time a younger Daria was seen in flashback material she was depicted as dressing similarly to her Daria look rather than her B&B look. Whether Beavis and Butt-head is canon for Daria, and which parts of it should be canon, is more disputed than other official material. Certainly, MTV doesn't seem to have cared! Conflicting canon The internal consistency of the world created within Daria has at times fallen apart in minor ways. What is stated as fact in one place is contradicted in another, probably as the result of editorial or production errors. One big example of production errors is that Daria's house was subject to startling transformations from episode to episode and even from scene to scene, making attempts to draw its layout problematic. Geography in Daria has conflicted, with a rock-filled desert with occasional trees being just under 100 miles away from Lawndale in "Speedtrapped"; Camp Grizzly ("Camp Fear") is somehow near Lawndale when Daria would have gone there when she was in Highland, in a different part of the country. The name of Lawndale's county started as Carter County on the MTV websites before it became Lawndale County on a road sign in "One J at a Time". That was only par for the course, as when Carter County first appeared in "The Daria Database", it was a shown to a highly rundown area (murder sites, the State Prison for the Criminally Insane...) Mystik Spiral were going to. The biggest issue with conflicting canon is the timeline. It is commonly assumed that the episodes from seasons one and two show Daria's first year in Lawndale, seasons three and four (and Is It Fall Yet?) show her second year, and season five and Is It College Yet? show her final year. However, the episodes often conflict! "Road Worrier" from the first season shows Daria and company attempting to go to Alternapalooza, a rock concert that takes place in mid-August (per The Daria Diaries) but is sandwiched between episodes showing portions of Daria's sophomore year at Lawndale High - and episodes set in the sophomore year show Daria knowing about Trent's band and Jesse Moreno, who she only meets this time. Some episodes explicitly take place in the wrong chronological order, with "Fizz Ed" taking place in January and "Sappy Anniversary" in the previous November. More confusing to work out, if we assume Daria spans three years then Beavis and Butt-head can only be Daria's ninth grade - a franchise that has multiple Christmas stories for her to appear in, while "Scientific Stuff" mentions Daria as being at Highland High "last year"! There's no way out! Category:Canon